my daugter got her ears pierced and its infected..should i take them out?

Question

my daugter got her ears pierced when she was 6 months old..they got infected so i took them out.. she is 5 now and just got them pierced again, she has had them pierced for like 2 months now and in the one ear where she had them pierced before right next to her new hole is now open with puss and blood on the back of her ear.. its complicated to describe.. but i was wondering what to do..should i just keep cleaning it or should i take them out..please help me... thank you very much ....jamie

Answer 1

Ask a doctor. Medical treatment via a web site full of youngsters, and other non-experts (including a few who think they are) is not the way insure your daughter's health.

Answer 2

Jamie,

The best thing to use now a days is the Neosporen. I'm an old schooler, so when I see ears that have been freshly peirced, I remember the thing to do back in the day was to break off a small piece of broom straw (from the broom), burn both ends and coat them with vaseline. Stick those threw the holes and keep them in for two weeks, then put the earrings in when the soreness and redness is gone. You certainly should clean both sides of the holes with rubbing alcohol everyday.

Her ears may be sensitive to the metals in the earrings that were put in with the pierceing gun. They do have hypoallergenic earrings out there.

Hopefully this helps. I personally like the broom straws, they give the ears time to heal without having the metals of the earrings irritating the situation.

Answer 3

This sounds like an allergic reaction since she has had them piered for 2 months with no complications.

For most people who are exhibiting a possible allergic reaction to nickel (most metals used in jewelry will have some nickel) it is suggested to switch to jewelry made of niobium. Niobium jewelry by property of the metal is naturally hypoallergenic.

Removal of the piercing can sometimes be dangerous. In some cases removal causes the infection to become absessed or even to spread versus remaining localized. In any event, if the infection is accompanied by a fever or red or swollen tissue, you should contact your healthcare provider. Since your particular problem involves your minor child it is prudent to err on the side of caution and give your pediatrician a call. They may prescribe an antibiotic, or provide you with other infection control methods (sea salt compresses to draw out infection etc).

I chose to have my daughter's ears pierced at 6 months as well. They were adorable and I would do it again...

Answer 4

first off, she needs to go to the DR to make sure the infection isnt out of control. dont take them out, until then. second, you can still keep them, it will just take some work and a little pain. get some hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and tea tree oil.

believe me, i'm heavily pierced, had MORE than my share of infections, never lost a piercing to it. but you have to keep it clean!!

ok, first, make her tilt her head over the sink and pour some hydrogen peroxide directly onto the front and then the back of the earring. i've found this works better than putting it on a cotton ball, just cause it gets into the wound better. let it bubble. after about 30 seconds, rinse with warm water. (btw, you'll probably make a mess, thats why we're over the sink.)

next, do the same with the alcohol. yes, it hurts. i know. no choice tho. once the burning seems to slow down, rinse.

get a q-tip, dip into tea tree oil and run quickly under water. really quickly. you're just trying to dilute it slightly. drip it on the front and the back.

do this daily. within a week it should be better.

hope it helps!!!
they're infected most likely because she plays with them a lot. thats what happens with me. i cant NOT touch my new piercings. or its just from sleeping on them. that happens too.

Answer 5

It depends, if you rather the holes close, then remove them. If not, you can continue cleaning them twice a day, turning them and apply a topical antibiotic ointment. The holes should have healed after two months. Sometimes children will finger the earrings causing them to get infected from the hands. Also make sure the earring posts are stainless steel or high quality gold. If the ear lobe starts to swell or the drainage increases remove the earrings.
Good luck...

Answer 6

Well, you might just need to remove them...clean with peroxide and let her try when she is older. I had a friend that went through the same thing, and wasn't able to pierce them until she was a teen in order to take care of the disinfectant process herself. Some people require more than just cleaning the area twice a day.
Now on a different note, an ex of mine (guy) tried twice as an adult an was not able to wear an earring due to the fact he couldn't heal without infection. Consult a Dr. if you don't see improvement in 24 hours.

Answer 7

I wouldn't. The reason I say this is because the more holes you put in your ears, the more irritated and harder to heal they become. I had my second hole pierced when I was 16, and it never healed properly. Even to this day, when I put earrings in, it gets inflamed and itchy. That may not happen with your daughter, but I wouldn't want to chance it with a five year old. She'll be pulling at them and irritated by them if it does happen. But that's up to you, and everyone's experience is different. I'm sure it would be pretty, but you just never know. Better to be safe than sorry...

Answer 8

Yes, take them out. Why is it so important to have them pierced in the first place if she's prone to infection. Why don't you take them out and let her decide if she wants them pierced when she gets older (after you explain how she's gotten infections the 2 times you got them pierced). If the ear piercing is a must, you can go to the doctor, maybe she's allergic to the metal. I know when i got my ears pierced (I was 5 months old) they put nickel earrings on, i'm allergic to them so they switched them out for gold ones. Good luck and hope your daughter's ear gets better.

Answer 9

What kind of metal are the earrings made of? This is very important as people have reactions to certain metals. They should be surgical steel or gold, preferably surgical steel. She needs to keep them clean with alcohol and put them in with a little neosporin on the post. If they are infected I'd take them out!

Answer 10

You might want to take her to a doctor. Possibly an antiboitic would clear that up, but they're probably going to have you remove the earings. Is she prone to infections usually? Maybe she's allergic to the metal in the earrings? Those are things you should be discussing with a doctor, particularly if she really wants to wear earrings now or sometime in the future. (given her age, I'm guessing it's you who want her to wear the earrings?)

Answer 11

Its infected, take them out, leave it to heal and wait till she is 16 and can decide if she wants earrings. Children so young cant look after ear piercings, clean them properly or leave them alone. Why have you had her ears pierced when she was 6 month?